Sex Trafficking of Minors

Sex trafficking of minors is a story journalists are likely to be challenged by in your communities, whether you cover big cities or small towns in America. Poverty, child welfare, crime and justice, families and communities: this issue cuts across them all.

Inspired by "Reporting Sex Trafficking: Local Problem with Global Dimensions" a ...

Most advocates for child victims of sex trafficking say juvenile detention is no place to put a young person who has been traumatized by prolonged sexual exploitation on par with the experiences of "hostages, prisoners of war, or concentration camp inmates." But few alternatives exist...

Newsroom stylebooks and media law guides may offer guidance on when to use loaded terms like “accused,” “arrest” and “indict,” but tips on language for sex trafficking are less clear. Here are some terms that may be helpful:Child prostitute- Never use. Children under the age of 18 cannot... Read more

Daliah Singer is associate editor of 5280, a Denver magazine. Her April 2014 article, “The Girls Next Door,” investigates the sex trafficking of minors in Colorado. The article’s strong narrative bent, anchored by interviews with survivors Aubrey and Leah, is supported by research and... Read more

When Sarasota Herald-Tribune reporter J. David McSwane came across a woman raising money to start a safe house for local victims of sex trafficking, he was taken aback.“I thought ‘Is this really going on here?’” he said in an interview. “Sarasota is a pretty affluent community; it just... Read more

The U.S. State Department’s annual “Trafficking in Persons Report” (TIP Report) profiles countries and regions according to anti-trafficking efforts. In 2014, the U.S. retained its Tier 1 ranking, but many challenges remained in its efforts to combat trafficking.

Awareness of the presence of sex trafficking in the U.S. is increasing, but major challenges pose significant barriers to addressing the crime, according to an April 2014 issue brief by The Center for American Progress.